


a warriors haircut

by TheGodWith5Yen



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon Era, Gen, Hair, Haircuts, before Sozin's Comet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGodWith5Yen/pseuds/TheGodWith5Yen
Summary: “Are you ready?” Sokka asked quietly. Katara gave a tight nod, unable to properly find her voice at the moment. “Alright. Stay still. You have a lot more hair than I’m used to so I’ll start with cutting it then shaving at your sides.” Katara felt as Sokka tied up the middle part of her hair with deft, easy movements. Sokka had always been good with hair. When they were little he would braid Katara’s hair for her and would help place the pretty carved beads made of ivory and antlers that their mother would make into her hair.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	a warriors haircut

**Author's Note:**

> This is for day four of Water Siblings Week, "hair." It's short, but sweet <3

Her fingers clutched deep into her knee as she breathed in, slowly, and breathed out, ragged and unsure. Behind Katara, she could feel as her brother settled onto the chair she had sat in front of. His hands moved through her long hair, brushing at it with his fingers. Katara caught sight of Aang and Zuko practicing firebending while Suki watched and Toph lay with her head on Suki’s lap looking as though she was actually asleep. She might have been, the girl had a bad time getting to sleep at night and had made a whole show of complaining when Sokka and Suki asked if she wanted to snuggle up with them to feel better.

“Are you ready?” Sokka asked quietly. Katara gave a tight nod, unable to properly find her voice at the moment. “Alright. Stay still. You have a lot more hair than I’m used to so I’ll start with cutting it then shaving at your sides.” Katara felt as Sokka tied up the middle part of her hair with deft, easy movements. Sokka had always been good with hair. When they were little he would braid Katara’s hair for her and would help place the pretty carved beads made of ivory and antlers that their mother would make into her hair. 

As her older brother began to clip at her hair, Katara’s back began to tingle, but she straightened her back, squeezed her knees, and stared forward as she watched Aang practice his bending. His arms were raised and his eyes closed, Zuko standing to the side with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face as he watched Aang. Bursts of fire came out of his fist and flowed with his movements.

“Well, definitely no going back now!” Sokka said as he pushed a clump of Katara’s hair with his bare foot towards her. Katara blinked as she looked at her hair. Never had she cut so much of her hair. It has only ever been a trim here or there from Gran Gran over the years. 

“Aang has gotten pretty good at firebending,” Katara said softly as her brother continued to cut her hair, coming close to her head to get it as short as he could.

Sokka hummed. “Not too surprising.”

“Sokka?” Katara asked quietly as she glanced away from Aang’s training and instead looked at her hands. Suki had found a bottle of nail polish, a shiny beautiful small glass bottle that Sokka had whistled at and examined before handing it back to his girlfriend, and had painted Katara’s nails with. It was black and, unsurprisingly, that sullen girl Mai’s according to Zuko, but Katara still liked it. Sokka had even gotten his nails painted with a large smile on his face. Apparently he had formed an appreciation of the art of makeup from Suki kicking his ass back on Kyoshi Island all those months ago. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to wait until after Sozin’s Comet to fight the Firelord?”

Sokka sighed. The scissors came a little too close to her ear, but Sokka quickly moved his hand back with an apology. “Right now? It’s our best choice. Even with all his skills, Aang just isn’t ready yet. Zuko is _always_ saying that Aang needs more work on his firebending. And even with our skills, I don’t know how _we_ could hope to defeat any of the Fire Nation. We barely made it out during the eclipse invasion, and now they’re going to be powered _up_. It might not feel good, but we don’t have much of a choice.”

“I just wish we could do more.” Katara whispered as she closed her eyes. 

“Well, as a _warrior_ my dear little sister, you’ll have to accept that battles may not always go as you want. You have to bide your time. And once we find the perfect moment, the world will know peace.” Sokka said, calm and steady. It always scared Katara whenever her brother was so serious, but she nodded her head slightly. After a moment, Sokka said, “Hey, I’m going to start shaving at the sides. Are you ready?” 

Katara breathed in. She thought of how, a year ago, she couldn’t properly bend a stream of water. How she had stolen a waterbending scroll and taught herself the movements, then taught Aang. How she had fought Master Paku for the right to learn more, to _fight_ in a way no woman in the Northern Water Tribe had before her. How she practiced and practiced and learned. How she had bloodbended Hama and the Southern Raider, a power she felt thrumming throughout her body, sick yet wonderful, fulfilling yet torturous, something she never wanted to feel inside her again, a stain inside her chest she still couldn’t forget. How she had stopped rainwater from falling onto the ground. She had grown so much since she had left home. She was ready. 

“Do it.” She said, resolute. 

Her brother’s razor moved along her head.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be sweet to add a mention of Kya making carved hair beads. I know a lot of people headcannon that Sokka is a lot like Hakoda and take up his skill with the arts, but I think it’s fun if instead it was Kya who was very much into poetry and art and such and Sokka picked it up from her! Even if he isn’t the best at carving yet! 
> 
> Leave a comment and a kudos <3


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